BASEBALL: SPRING TRAINING -- METS; Pulsipher Sparkles In 5 Innings

Bill Pulsipher again did everything he could to up the ante in his bid to make the Mets' rotation. Armando Reynoso may have opened some eyes in what may have been an audition for the opposing general manager. Carl Everett criticized his former team and the New York media.

And people say the Mets aren't interesting.

They won today for the eighth time in their last nine exhibition games, pounding the Houston Astros, 14-1. In his third spring start, Pulsipher pitched five scoreless innings of three-hit ball against a lineup that featured Craig Biggio, Jeff Bagwell and Moises Alou.

''I want to force them to make some kind of decision,'' said the left-handed Pulsipher, who walked two and struck out four, including Bagwell once and Alou twice, in lowering his earned run average to 1.50 in 12 innings this spring. ''I can't do any more than I'm doing. If I keep putting up zeroes, something's going to happen.''

It still may not be enough to earn him a spot as the fifth starter.

''He's still a very viable candidate,'' said Bob Apodaca, the Mets' pitching coach. ''But I don't want to get carried away just because he threw five zeroes. It's a pretty good competition right now. To say who's in the lead right now, I don't know.''

Valentine acknowledged he has some tough decisions, especially after Reynoso followed Pulsipher with four innings of one-hit, one-run ball. Reynoso, Juan Acevedo and Brian Bohanon -- all candidates for the fifth spot -- all could be traded before opening day. The Astros, who are in need of some starting pitching, were watching Reynoso closely today.

That was after Everett, who was traded to Houston by the Mets in the off season for the reliever John Hudek, took some parting shots at: a.) the New York news media for coverage of his child-neglect case (''That's why people hate New York. You don't write baseball; you write personal''); and b.) the Mets' front office, which he said traded him because of his off-field troubles.

''They didn't have to tell me,'' Everett said, two days after a court ruled that one of the two of Everett's children in foster care, a girl, will go to her maternal grandmother, while a son will return to Everett's custody. ''I know. In so many words, it was told to me.''